Every day is sports day

North Queensferry Primary School was among the winners at the 2018 Sunday Mail sportscotland Scottish Sports Awards after picking up the School Sport award.

The sportscotland gold school has shown that a massive increase in participation in sport can also increase positive attainment and attendance.

In 2015, only 12% of pupils in the school participated in sport but then there was a monumental shift, with numbers rising to 38% in 2016 and 78% in the 2017/18.

Now an incredible 65% of pupils have represented their school competitively at a variety of sports.

The Fife school has developed excellent links to a variety of community clubs, providing pupils with the opportunity to continue their sporting journey.

Awards night

A star-studded guest list gathered on 6 December in Glasgow to celebrate another exceptional year for Scottish sport.

Scotland’s athletes have once again shone on the global stage with Team Scotland winning a record number of medals at an overseas Commonwealth Games in the Gold Coast, while there were many fantastic performances at the PyeongChang Winter Olympic and Paralympic Games and the Glasgow 2018 European Championships.

But it’s about much more than delivering on the world stage. In communities across the country there are countless examples of sport making a difference.

Attendances at the national Active Schools programme have reached 7.3million – an all-time high. There are also now 192 community sport hubs in operation across the country, further increasing participation opportunities.

Other big winners on the night included the Scotland women’s football team, who were named Team of the Year, while head coach Shelley Kerr was named Coach of the Year after guiding the Scots to their first World Cup finals in France in 2019.

Duncan Scott won Scottish Sports Personality of the Year and Dame Katherine Grainger picked up the Lifetime Achievement Award.

Praise for North Queensferry PS

Stewart Harris, sportscotland chief executive, said: “Congratulations to staff and pupils at North Queensferry Primary School who are putting sport and physical education right at the heart of their school and local community. They should be proud of this fantastic achievement.

“Along with our partners, sportscotland is committed to building a world class sporting system for everyone, and a crucial part of that is putting young people at the centre of our efforts.

“There is terrific work being done by the sporting community across the country to increase the opportunities for as many people as possible to take part in sport. It is wonderful to have another chance to recognise such dedicated and hard-working people alongside Scotland’s elite athletes.”